Today the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall are very busy:
The Prince of Wales
Duke of Rothesay, President, The Prince of Wales's Phoenix Trust, and The Duchess of Rothesay will open the refurbished Anchor Mill, Paisley.

The Prince of Wales
Duke of Rothesay, Patron, The Soil Association, and The Duchess of Rothesay will meet children enjoying healthy organic and locally sourced school meals as part of the Soil Association "Food for Life" project, Hurlford Primary School, Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.

The Prince of Wales
Duke of Rothesay and The Duchess of Rothesay will visit Sma' Shot Cottages, Paisley.

The Prince of Wales
Duke of Rothesay, will meet farmers from the Girvan Early Growers Co-operative as part of the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society's centenary celebrations, Grangestone Industrial Estate, Girvan, Ayrshire.

The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay greet children during a visit to Hurlford Primary School on 21 June 2005, Hurlford, Ayrshire, Scotland. The Duke and Duchess visited the school to see their unique approach to organic and locally sourced school meals underpinnned by the "Food For Life" project.

An official trip by the Prince of Wales to Sri Lanka, Australia and back from Fiji on a chartered plane cost nearly £300,000.

According to the Buckingham Palace accounts a chartered flight by the Duke of York to the Far East to promote British interests cost just under £125,000.

A scheduled flight by the Duke of Edinburgh to Toronto to attend a gala celebrating his International Award Association came to around £12,800.

Yet when heir to the throne Charles flew to Washington for former US President Ronald Reagan's funeral, the chartered plane ride was priced at £85,000.

Aides insisted that the Prince had a tight programme of engagements and the journey was the cheapest available, adding that it was hard to keep costs down when royals attend funerals because of the short notice.

The cost of royal journeys also relates to the number of staff travelling in the royal party.

One source said: "A lot depends on the size of the party. The Duke of Edinburgh has always travelled in a very lean style. The Duke of York probably has a more appropriate size of staff.

Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy Purse, revealed that the Queen and the royal family cost each person in the country 61p per year - the same as in 2003-2004.

It was also disclosed that the Queen has received a business rate rebate on Buckingham Palace of more than £1m.

Westminster City Council had doubled the rateable value in 2000, but palace officials fought the increase in a lengthy appeal and successfully won the large refund.

Mr Reid said of the figures this year: "We believe this represents a value for money monarchy. We're not looking to provide the cheapest monarchy. We're looking at one of good value and good quality."

The Queen represents "value for money", her treasurer said yesterday, despite the huge sums spent by Royal Family members on charter flights.

Last year's travel bill for the Royal Family was £5mAs her public finances were published, it emerged that on one trip by the Prince of Wales charter flights cost £380,000, almost £300,000 of which was met by the taxpayer.

The annual figures disclose that the cost of keeping the monarchy last year was £36.7 million, compared with £36.8 million the year before. The treasurer, Alan Reid, the Keeper of the Privy Purse, said that amounted to 61p a year per person in the country.

"We believe this represents a value for money monarchy. We are not looking to provide the cheapest monarchy; we are looking at one of good value and good quality."

The travel bill was £5 million. The most expensive charter was £379,929 for the Prince of Wales to fly to Sri Lanka to visit tsunami survivors, Australia and Fiji then back to Britain via Tokyo.

Click to enlargeClarence House defended the cost, saying the Government asked him to go. A spokesman said: "To allow HRH to fulfil the busy programme and to meet the inevitable security requirements, using scheduled services was not possible, although, of course, that option was considered."

The Duke of York notched up £125,000 in charter flights on one tour and £85,000 on another while promoting British interests abroad. But it cost Prince Philip and his aides only £12,800 to take a scheduled flight to Toronto.

An aide said: "The Duke of Edinburgh has always travelled in a very lean style."

Camilla, who is quickly gaining a reputation for making the most of her favourite outfits, had no qualms about repeating her preferred ensembles on the Scottish jaunt. Her wardrobe included a short but smart list of eye-catching suits, with two particular designs – a mint green suit and fuchsia floral print jacket – standing out.

While the whirlwind trip surely made for some fond memories for the royal couple, Charles and Camilla saved the best for last. The jewel in the crown of their visit was on Thursday, when they, along with the Queen, proudly watched Prince William's graduation from St Andrews after a four-year course of study.

What about her outfit exactly has to go? She is wearing a nice colour for summer. It is fresh and bright, not dark and dreary. The jacket and skirt both fit Camilla, are not too loose or too tight. The suit does not show too much skin, is age appropriate. What's wrong with it?

It seems to me that you make some rather rash judgements without much explanation. Just over simplified insults without much support of why an outfit is wrong or why the person looks unhappy or whatever. :(

The next few engagements of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall: They seem very busy:Monday, 27th June
The Prince of Wales, Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Dragoon Guards,
will attend a Parade and Medal Presentation, Münster, Germany.

Tuesday 28th June:The Prince of Wales, Vice Admiral, and The Duchess of Cornwall will
be embarked in HMS Scott to witness The International Fleet Review
at Spithead to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of
Trafalgar, Portsmouth, Hampshire.

Wednesday 29th June:The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will attend the
Metropolitan Police Annual Memorial Service and Reception at The
Metropolitan Police Training Centre, Hendon, London.

Thursday 30th June:The Duchess of Cornwall will officially open the Wellington Farm
Shop and meet local producers, Stratfield Saye, Hampshire.

Monday 4th July:The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will open 'The
Living Museum' to commemorate the end of the Second World War, St
James's Park, London.

Tuesday 5th July:The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will give a
reception for Kindertransport evacuees 60 years after the end of the
Second World War, Clarence House, London.
The Prince of Wales will open the new John Madejski Garden at The
Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London.

Wednesday 6th July:The Prince of Wales, accompanied by The Duchess of Cornwall will
host a reception for World War II veterans who are from Regiments
and organisations associated with His Royal Highness, Buckingham
Palace, London.

Sunday 10th July:The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall will attend the
National Commemoration of the end of the Second World War on Horse
Guards Parade, London, and will view a flypast from the balcony of
Buckingham Palace, London.

So we can see the second time the Duchess of Cornwall doing her solo engagement on 30th June and the second time she appears on Buckingham Palace balcony alongside the Queen on 10th July.But this time Prince William's not there so i don't know if she could stands next to the Queen?Wait and see.

Charles stamps his brand on 'joined-up' charities Saturday, 25 June 2005 The Prince of Wales is to take a leaf out of the modern corporate handbook and rebrand his charities under a single name.

The 16 charitable organisations, which include the Prince's Trust, are to combine under the umbrella of the Prince's Charities - with a new logo. The charities raise more than £100 million a year.

The revamp, which will be launched by Prince Charles at Clarence House on Thursday, is intended to take his work to a larger audience.

The move follows a confidential review by McKinsey & Co, the management consultants, which recommended that the main charities undergo a make-over and restructuring. Sir Michael Peat, the prince's private secretary, has complained that "the only thing that never leaks from Clarence House is the great work that the Prince of Wales does".

The new umbrella group will employ more than 1,400 full-time staff and thousands of volunteers. Its aim will be to "unite but not unify" the charities, which will keep their own identities.

"We are trying to promote more 'joined-up' working between you all, more opportunities to learn from one another, better planning, research and intelligence, and the highest standards of good governance and management," the prince told staff and charity trustees at Clarence House last week.

Royal observers noted yesterday that his language of "joined-up government" echoed that used by Tony Blair. It is understood that his speech was based on notes from Sir Tom Shebbeare, the prince's director of charities, who has no New Labour links.

The initiative will be announced on Thursday when Sir Michael and Paddy Harverson, the prince's communications secretary, present the second annual report of the prince's working life at Clarence House.

Sir Tom, who has worked for the prince for 19 years, has been credited with much of the success of the Prince's Trust, which has helped more than 500,000 underprivileged young people since it was established in 1976.

Setting up the brand has created jobs for seven new staff. The prince is paying for new secretarial workers and five more senior staff are costing nothing because they are either on secondment from other companies or are paid for by outside donations.

Over the coming year, the prince intends to set up two new charities: one as yet unnamed body to guarantee the future of his annual educational summer schools, and the Prince of Wales's Initiative in India.

Meanwhile, it will also be disclosed this week that the money raised by the prince's 16 charities is up nearly 10 per cent on last year to almost £110 million.

Prince Charles gets most of his revenue from the Duchy of Cornwall estate. The Duchy provided £11.9 million last year and this year's total is expected to show a big increase.

The Prince's Charities will be separate from Duchy Originals, the organic food and drink company, launched by the prince 15 years ago, and which last year announced its first £1 million annual profit.

However, Duchy Originals provides funds through its work for the prince's charities.

The Prince, his £8m & Highgrove, a home he no longer loves Saturday, 25 June 2005 He still proudly surveys its glorious organic gardens, but for Prince Charles, the dream that was Highgrove has turned sour. First the marriage that was meant to flourish there came crashing to a bitter end. Now his financing of the estate is under the microscope.

Little wonder the Prince's affections have shifted, towards Birkhall, the residence on the edge of Balmoral left to him by the Queen Mother. It is where he honeymooned with the Duchess of Cornwall. It is there he likes to escape the metropolitan media glare.

And yet the shadow of Highgrove stalks him.

Today's revelation that Prince Charles has paid himself around £8m in rent since the Duchy of Cornwall bought the estate is just the latest in a series of "creative accounting" procedures raising eyebrows.

The handsome house, with its neoclassical façade looking out over rolling countryside, was bought for the Prince by the Duchy in 1980 for £865,000. At the time, royal- watchers speculated that the purchase suggested wedding plans. And indeed, he and Diana, Princess of Wales, spent much of their early married life there together.

Nevertheless, Camilla has her own close associations with the Gloucestershire estate, as revealed in the first review of his financial activities last year. It showed that she stabled her horses at his home and he sent a retired Highgrove gardener to help tend the grounds of her nearby property, Ray Mill House.

On Tuesday, Prince Charles will publish his second annual review. The glossy brochure will record in detail the many charitable and other official duties that the heir to the throne has carried out in the past 12 months, alongside the balance sheet. Introduced by Sir Michael Peat, his private secretary, it is intended to convey an impression that a new air of openness is sweeping though the corridors of Clarence House.

Highgrove is also used as a venue for seminars and other meetings of leading figures in the various causes the Prince espouses. A new function room, the Orchard Room, was recently added to allow larger get-togethers. Its official use allows the Prince of Wales to offset part of the costs of Highgrove against his tax bill.

The ambiguous status of the house may help to explain why Duchy of Cornwall officials were less than clear about who paid for it when quizzed by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) earlier this year. Bertie Ross, secretary and keeper of the records of the Duchy of Cornwall, said: "There is a proper agreement between the Duchy of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales for which he pays a full market rent which is, in this case, assessed by two separate valuers because of its sensitivity."

It emerged, however, from information slipped into the House of Commons library earlier this month that the "rent" of £336,000 a year is in effect paid into the Prince's own coffers.

Although Clarence House is insisting this weekend that Mr Ross gave "correct" information, it seems likely that he will be recalled by MPs. Alan Williams, a senior PAC member, is determined to recall the Duchy officials to grill them over the arrangement.

"They are really going to have to come back to the Public Accounts Committee because they were not economical with the truth, they were miserly with it," said Mr Williams. "There can be no doubt about the impression they meant to give when they said he pays a 'full market rent' and we now know that it is very different from the truth."

Mr Williams said the officials had mounted a "charade" in drawing attention to the use of two valuers, and if it was found that they had knowingly misled the committee, they could be held accountable for a breach of parliamentary privilege.

The PAC has become increasingly interested in what one member termed the Prince's "creative accounting". Although he volunteered to pay income tax in 1993, the Duchy of Cornwall was quietly allowed to remain exempt from capital gains tax. The exemption has helped the value of the Duchy to quadruple since the Prince's divorce. Calculation of the Prince's expenditure on official duties is also being questioned.

Bit by bit, royal finances are coming under the same sort of scrutiny as is given to government spending. The new powers of scrutiny enabled The Independent on Sunday to disclose last month how little the Duke of York and Earl of Wessex paid for their mansions in Windsor Great Park.

PALACES FIT FOR A PRINCE

Clarence House

What is it?

The family pad. A stuccoed mansion spread across four floors, Clarence House passed to the Prince of Wales upon the death of the Queen Mother. Millions of pounds were spent transforming it into the official residence for Charles, Camilla and Princes William and Harry.

Location, location, location?

Bang in the middle of regal London. Situated on the Mall, it is ideal for engagements with foreign dignitaries and visiting royalty of all kinds.

Through the keyhole you'll find

Select works from the royal art collection. The Prince renovated the place before moving in. This is where he does his work: planning visits, bemoaning the state of modern architecture and deciding it's a good idea to travel by helicopter to Highgrove.

Highgrove

What is it?

The country pile. The Duchy of Cornwall bought Highgrove House on behalf of the Prince of Wales in 1980. It is a rectangular three-storey building with nine bedrooms, four reception rooms, eight bathrooms and a nursery wing. The house became the first home for Charles, Diana and their sons.

Location, location, location?

In the heart of Gloucestershire, overlooking some of England's finest rolling countryside near Tetbury and Cirencester.

Through the keyhole you'll find

The heir to the throne chatting to the begonias. It was at Highgrove that the Prince honed his love of all things horticultural. He is said to have spent £500,000 transforming the 37-acre estate into a showcase for organic farming and gardening. He recently added a function suite on the grounds.

By Francis Elliott, Deputy Political Editor
26 June 2005 The Independent

Charles in Songs of Praise Tribute to Queen Mother Monday, 27 June 2005

The Prince of Wales is to appear on BBC television's Songs Of Praise, it was confirmed today. Prince Charles will record a tribute to the Queen Mother in a show to be filmed from Caithness in Scotland. The heir to the throne will talk of his love for his late grandmother's Highland home, the Castle of Mey. The programme will feature a service at Pulteney Parish Church in the town of Wick. Clarence House said Charles would not choose any hymns or feature at the service but would record an interview about his fondness for the ancestral home where he spent many of his childhood holidays.

A spokeswoman said: "His Royal Highness' contribution will primarily explain his enthusiasm for the Caithness area and his love for the Castle of Mey. "He won't be attending the service itself and he hasn't chosen any of the hymns." A BBC spokeswoman said the show would be broadcast on September 11. She said: "We are delighted that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales will contribute to this show. "It will come from John O'Groats, a Christian retreat at Freswick Castle and will feature a service at Pulteney Parish Church."

Charles will follow in the footsteps of his sister, Princess Anne, who appeared on Songs of Praise in June last year, talking about National Carers' Week. His sons, Princes William and Harry, also appeared in a broadcast of the religious programme filmed at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in New Year 2000.

First broadcast in 1961, Songs of Praise is one of the longest running shows on the BBC.

From now on, when posting articles from newspapers, please just post the first few lines and provide a link to the original. We don't want to get into trouble with the publishers of these papers for violating copyright laws.

Prince's Tribute to Iraq Tour Dragoons Tuesday, 28 June 2005 The Prince of Wales today paid a personal tribute to soldiers of the Royal Dragoon Guards after they returned unscathed from a recent tour of duty in Iraq.

Tuesday, 28 June 2005 The Prince of Wales hit back last night at "misleading" claims he is paying himself millions of pounds just to live on his West country estate. Yesterday it emerged that the rent paid by the Prince for Highgrove goes straight into the Duchy of Cornwall's revenue account, which covers his living costs in the first place.